Refrigerator car



Oct. 16, 1934- w. F. DIETRlcl-lsoN REFRIGERATOR CAR 'Filed Feb. 24, 1934 3 Sheets-Sheet l INYENTOR BYk/z'lizkm fzerz'csoz 5 ATTORNEY Oct. 16, 1934.

w. F. DI'ETRlHsoN 1,977,472

` REFRIGERATOR CAR Filed Feb. 24, 1934 I5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Mmmm I INVENTOR A TTORNE Y W. F. DIETRICHSON REFRIGERATOR CAR Oct. 16, 1934.

Filed Feb. 24, 1934 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 A TTORNE Y Patented oci. 16, 1934 -UNITED STATES .PATENT- OFFICE 4norm-zza anmoeaa'roa can American C William F. Dietriclison, erwichla., assignor to ar and Foundry Company, New

This invention relates to refrigerators of the type adapted to employ very intense reirigerantssuch, for example, as solid carbon dioxide and Ato apparatus and systems for refrigeration. The

Y- I invention is particularly adapted for and is shown embodied in a railway refrigerator car but it is not to be understood that the invention is specifically limited to railway cars as, obviously, it may be employed in storage rooms or the like,

particularly where it is necessasry and desirable to use a refrigerant which passes from a solid to a vapor state without an intermediate liquid stage.

One object of the present invention is `the.

18 provision of a new and improved railway refrigerator car adapted to and using solid carbon dioxide as a refrigerant.

Another object of this invention is the provision of a refrigerator car in which air is cooled zo through the medium of solid carbon dioxide and is circulated through the lading zone of the car and, upon absorption of heat. is returned for re-cooling by the solid carbon dioxide.

Y Still another object of this invention is the g5 provision of a new and improved bunker for railway refrigerator cars.

Other objects and advantages of this invention will be apparent from the following description taken in commotion with the accompanying drawings, in which Y Figure 1 is a sectional view through a railway refrigerator car at one end portion thereof show- -ing the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a sectional view on the line 2-2,

Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a sectional view on the line 3-3, Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a sectional View on the line 4 4, Fig. 3; the View showing a part of the bulkhead broken away in order to disclose other parts of the bunker; and Y Fig. 5 is a sectional view on the line 5 5, Fig. 1.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings in which similar characters of reference designate similar parts in the several views, the

car shown in the drawings comprises a body including side walls 2, end walls 4 (one only being shown), a roof 6 and a bottom or iioor 8; the car of the body, said' duct being embedded in the roof insulation and discharging at one end portion thereof into a vertical air passage 14 formed between spaced refrigerant holding containers A of a bunker indicated generally at B. In prac- 00 tice, in a car of the type shownherein, each half of the length of the car is served byv a bunker at the respective end portions of the car body but inasmuch as the bunkers are identical only one is shown and described.

The bunker B is formed of insulating material 16 reinforced by wood braces 18 and provided 'with an inner lining 20 of metal; the braces at the front wall 22 of the bunker extending downwardly to the door 8 as shown clearly in Figs. 70 2, 3, and 4.

Covering the front wall 22 of the bunker B is a bulkhead 24 to the lower edge portion of which a door 26 is hinged as shown at 28. The bunker B 'is supported by a skeleton frame 75 formed of uprghts 30, base members 32 and upper supporting angles 34, the latter sloping downwardly from adjacent their ends to provide sloping supports for the containers A as shown more clearly in Fig. 1, the bottoms 36 of these 80 containers sloping downwardly toward the longitudinal center line of the car body and `toward metal wall members 38 forming the walls-of the air passage 14 and also the end walls of the respective containers. 85

As clearly shown in Fig. 1 the air passage 14 increases in cross-sectional area downwardly through the bunker and its lower end is open to discharge air passing therethrough onto a baille member 40 having walls 42 which slope down- 90 wardly toward the side walls of the car forming a balile ridge pole 44 to which said baille is secured. The walls 42 have their end portions cut at an angle as shown at 46 whereby to provide for effec,- tive distribution of the air and passage thereof 95 from the baflie into the lading zone of the car.

Extending through the roof of the car body. are

`hatchways 48 which are normally closed by suitable hatch covers (not shown), these hatchways providing for charging the containers A with the mo refrigerant such as solid carbon dioxide 49. Due to the downward slope of the bottoms of the containers A and the angular inclination of the wall 50 being insulated as shown and being generally of members '38 Athe refrigerant 49 i5 always m8311- o5 conventional construction.

The roof 6 includes a ceiling 10. which supports an air duct 12 extending longitudinally of the car body for a part of the length thereof and arranged at substantially the longitudinal center tained in contact with the wall members 38 to cool the latter whereby to absorb heat imits from the air as it passes downwardly throughthe air passage. To increase the effective areas ofthe air passage, vertical fins 50 are secured to the wall 110 members 38 and project inwardly into the air passage 14 as clearly shown in Fig. 5.

In use, with the containers A charged with solid carbon dioxide or other suitable refrigerant, air enters the air duct 12 from the interior of the car body and passes into the air passage 14 where it is cooled and drops onto the baiile 40 for re circulation into the car body, it being apparent that the cooling of the air in the passage 414 sets up and maintains circulation of air between the bunker and the lading-zone of the car body. Due to the downwardly increasing cross-sectional area of the air passage the latter, inservice, will not become frosted to an extent suflicient to interfere with the circulation of air.

The drawings herein illustrate one embodiment of the invention but it is to be understood that that they are for illustrative purposes only and various changes in the form and proportions of the construction may be made within the scope of the appended claims without departing from the spirit. of the invention. y

What is claimed is:

1. A refrigerator car and a refrigerating sysytem therein comprising substantially gas tight metal containers for holding solid carbon dioxide, said containers being insulated against heat but having at least one wall of 'each thereof exposed, in combination with means for transferring heat from the refrigerated space to the exposed walls including a doWnow-air conduit defined between said containers, said exposed container walls constituting opposite walls of said conduit, the discharge end of said conduit being of greater width than the entrance end whereby to permit free and unobstructed passage of air therethrough, an air feeder duct receiving air from the refrigerated space and arranged to dischage into the upper end portion of the downilow conduit, and means arranged below the containers so formed as to effect uniform distribution of air from the conduit into the refrigerated space.

2. A refrigerator and a refrigerating system therein comprising substantially gas tight metal containers for holding solid carbon-dioxide arranged in spaced relation to provide a downfiow air conduit therebetween, s aid containers having certain walls thereof insulated against heat but havingtheir contiguous walls exposed, the lower end portion of said conduit being of greater width than the upper end portion so as to permitfree' and unobstructed flow of air. therethrough, an

- air feeder duct discharging into the conduit' at its crease the effective cooling area, a bulkhead exand forming the front wall of said conduit, an air feeder duct arrangedin the lading zone of the car and discharginginto the upper portion of the air passage, and'air spreader means below the containers so formed and arranged as to effect substantially uniform distribution of -air from the conduit into the lading zone of the car.

4. In a refrigerator car, refrigerant holding container therein arranged in spaced relation to provide a downflow air conduit therebetween, the contiguous walls of said containers being exposed and the remainder of the Walls of the containers being insulated against heat, said contiguous walls being provided with projecting fins so as to intending transversely of the car-and to which the containers are secured, a portion of the bulkhead forming the front wall of said air conduit, an air Afeeder duct arranged Within the lading zone of the car and having its discharge end so arranged as to discharge air into the upperportion of the air conduit, and air spreader means arranged be-V low the containers and so formed as to divide the air issuing from the downiow conduit to effect substantially uniform distribution thereof into the lading zone of the car. Y 5. In a refrigerator car, refrigerant holdingl containers therein adjacent an end wall of the car and arranged in spaced relation transversely of the car tov provide a downfiow air conduit-therebetween, the contiguous walls of said containers being exposed and the remainder of the walls being insulated against heat, a. bulkhead extending transversely of the car and to which the'containers are secured,'an air feeder duct receiving 110 air from the lading zone of the car and having its discharge end arranged to discharge'air into the air conduit, air spreader means below the containers, and a skeleton frame supporting theV containers.

6. In a refrigerator car, an insulated body having an insulated roof, refrigerant holding containers in the body adjacent an end wall of the car and arranged in spaced relation transversely of the car to provide a downow air con- 120 duit therebetween, the contiguous walls of said containers being exposed and the remainder of the walls being insulated against heat, said containersfhaving the bottom walls thereof inclined downwardly toward the longitudinal cen-.125 ter line ofthe car and the-downflow air'conduit increasing`in diameter from thev upper portion thereof toward the lower end thereof, a-bulkhead extending transversely of the car and to which the containers are secured, an air feeder duct embedded in the roof insulation and adapted to receive air from the lading zone of the car, said duct having its discharge end arranged to discharge air into the upperA end portion of the downflow air conduit, and air spreader means arranged below the containers and so formed and arranged as to distribute the air uniformly into the lading zone of the car.

WIIllAM F. DIEI'RICHSON. 

